The Antiquities of Constantinople: With a Description of Its Situation, the Conveniencies of Its Port, Its Publick Buildings, the Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, and Other Curiosities of That CityGilles, Pierre
History
The Antiquities of Constantinople: With a Description of Its Situation, the Conveniencies of Its Port, Its Publick Buildings, the Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, and Other Curiosities of That City
Gilles, Pierre
Istanbul (Turkey) -- Antiquities; Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel; Turkey -- Antiquities
For _Constantinople_ can contain more Men as it is seated
upon Hills, than it could if it were seated on a Plain. The Breadth of
this City varies in several Places. From the East to the Middle of it,
’tis at least a Mile in Breadth, but in no Place broader than a Mile
and a half. It divides itself afterwards into two Branches, where ’tis
almost as broad as ’tis long. I can compare it, as to its Figure, to
nothing more properly than to an Eagle stretching out his Wings, and
looking obliquely to the left, upon whose Beak stands the first Hill,
where is the _Grand Seignor’s_ Palace. In his Eye stands the Church of
St. _Sophia_; on the lower part of the Head is the _Hippodrom_; upon
his Neck are the second and third Hills, and the remaining part of the
City fill up his Wings, and his whole Body.
CHAP. V.
_A general Description of_ Constantinople.
Constantinople takes up in Compass the whole _Peninsula_, which
contains seven Hills, of which the eastern Angle of the City
includes one, having its Rise at the Promontory, which _Pliny_ calls
_Chrysoceras_, and _Dionysius_ a _Byzantian_, _Bosporium_. The first
Hill is divided from the second by a broad Valley; the Promontory of
_Bosporium_ contains the other six, extending itself from the Entrance
of the _Peninsula_ on the East, full West with a continued Ridge, but
somewhat convex’d, and hangs over the Bay. Six Hills and five Valleys
shoot from the right Side of it, and ’tis divided only by the third and
fifth Valleys on the left Side of it, which is all upon the Descent,
and has only some small Hills and Vales, which are more steep than
the Hills themselves. It has also two Windings which take their Rise
from the Top of the first Hill, from whence it ascends by Degrees
almost to another Winding, which begins from the Top of the third
Hill, where sinking into a gentle Descent, it admits the Valley, which
lies between the third and the fourth Hill. From thence it rises again
with a moderate Ascent, and continues upon a Level westward almost
to the _Urbicion_, where it rises again. The Plains adjoining to the
Promontory differ as to their Level. Those that divide the Promontory
at the Top, and those at the Foot of it, are very uneven in many
Places. The Plain at the Top of the first Hill is seven hundred Paces
in Length, and two hundred in Breadth. Shooting hence, it rises almost
insensibly to the Top of the second Hill, where ’tis five hundred
Paces in Breadth, and is all upon the Descent to the Top of that Hill,
where the second Valley, which is also shelving and very narrow, takes
its Rise. On the third Hill the Plain is above six hundred Paces in
Breadth, but somewhat more upon the Level at the Entrance of the third
Valley, which is six hundred Paces broad. From hence you rise by a
gentle Ascent to the Plain on the Top of the fourth Hill, which is not
above two hundred Paces wide. On the fifth Hill it dilates itself to
the Breadth of seven hundred Paces. On the Hill, from whence the fifth
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